


Market Day

by AnnieVH



Series: Rumple and the Spinsters [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-18 23:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2365382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieVH/pseuds/AnnieVH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flora and Fauna take Rumpel to the market for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Market Day

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: woodelf68 [tumblr]: The first time they take a skein of young Rumpel's spinning to their stall on market day, and how proud they are and excited he is when it sells.
> 
> Still taking prompts for Rumpel and the Spinsters.

 “Such good yarn.”

“And on his first try.”

“He is truly gifted.”

“And did you see how fast-”

“He was turning that wheel like a hurricane!”

“Uhn...” Rumpelstiltskin stammered, but they didn't turn nor stopped talking as if he wasn't there.

“He'll be spinning all the king's skeins one day.”

“He'll be spinning _whole dresses_ for queens one day.”

Rumpel had no idea how he could spin a whole dress with his little spinning wheel, but Aunt Fauna and Aunt Flora had been spinning for many years now. They probably knew what they were talking about.

“Is it good for selling?” he asked with his timid voice. He had been waiting for their final decision for many minutes now.

“Good for selling!” Aunt Fauna jeered, still holding up the thread against the light and admiring it as if it were made of gold. “My dear Rumpel...”

“It is perfect,” Aunt Flora said, peering over the other woman's shoulder. “You are very talented.”

“We are so lucky to have found you.”

“An ability like this...”

“It could make you rich.”

“It could make you _famous_.”

Rumpel felt his cheeks turning red. To his eyes, it looked like a regular thread, and not nearly as well done as those of Aunt Fauna and Aunt Flora.

“A thing of beauty,” Aunt Fauna announced, finally putting it down.

“Will sell very well in the market,” Aunt Flora said, taking Rumpelstiltskin's work and putting it in the basket with all the others.

That tied Rumpel's stomach in a not. He didn't really think they'd go as far as taking it to the market. Yes, they had promised to do so if they approved of his work, but he didn't expect getting it right on his first try. He _wanted_ to get it right on his first try, but... now it looked even more terrifying than failure.

“C'mon, boy,” Aunt Fauna urged him at the door.

Aunt Flora complemented, “We're going to be late.”

Rumpelstiltskin had been to the market many times before, but from behind Aunt Fauna and Aunt Flora's stall it looked even louder and more crowded than from behind Papa's “Follow the Lady”. He did what he used to do with Papa, not four weeks ago: stand against a wall and behave like a good boy, out of everybody's way.

He watched his aunts get ready, moving at the same time, well synchronized with one another, like they had been doing that for many years already. Then, Aunt Fauna sat back to manage the money and Aunt Flora stood behind the stall, ready to deal with the clientele.

Whenever someone stopped by, Rumpel's heart leaped out of his chest and his eyes looked for his skein desperately. Maybe that person would buy it. Or completely ignore it. Or laugh at it.

Mostly, they were approached by old friends from the market who wanted to chitchat for a while, and Aunt Flora was more than happy to comply.

“And who is that sweetheart over there?” asked a kind looking lady with a big smile and a high pitched voice. “Nephew of yours, I bet.”

Rumpel shrank against the wall, as if being noticeable was a bad thing to be.

But Aunt Flora just motioned him forward. “Come here, my dear, don't be shy. Tell Miss Goldie your name.”

Rumpel obeyed and whispered his name so low and so fast Miss Goldie asked him to repeat it.

Aunt Fauna rescued him. “Rumpelstiltskin.”

“What an unusual name!” Miss Goldie giggled. “Must be from Fauna's side of the family!”

Aunt Fauna looked like she didn't know if the woman was trying to offend her or not, but held her tongue.

“He's our apprentice,” Aunt Flora said, placing an arm around his shoulders. “But he is like family already. Aren't you, Rumpel?”

Rumpel nodded without even considering if he agreed with that or not. Papa had taught him that, when grown-ups asked a question, the best way to answer was to nod politely and let him do the talking.

“And look at what he did, isn't he the most talented boy?” Aunt Flora reached for his skein and showed it to the other woman, beaming with pride. Rumpel looked mortified, standing there, small and helpless, while Miss Goldie examined his work.

Luckily, Miss Goldie didn't pay much attention to it and dismissed them saying she wasn't looking to buy anything today. After that, Aunt Flora didn't let go of him and all other acquaintances that came by would ask about this unexpected addition to their market stall. After the fifth person commented on his funny name however, Aunt Fauna started intervening.

“His name is Rumpelstiltskin,” she'd say, much louder than Rumpel could manage. “Yes, his name _is_ unusual. He is our apprentice. Look at his work.”

Aunt Flora acted like her friend's intruding voice was perfectly normal behavior. Rumpel wondered if it was usual for Aunt Fauna to lash out on the clientele whenever she got bored.

In fact, when one stranger came to buy from their stall and commented, without really trying to sound mean but tugging at the child's heart anyway, “Aren't you the coward's son?” Fauna narrowed her eyes at the stranger and replied, “Aren't you the son of a-”

“ _Fauna_!” Flora called out before her friend could finish. Even Rumpel raised his eyes to give Aunt Fauna a very surprised look. Papa had used words like those before, and quite frequently, but never in front of a lady. And never to defend him.

“Just take your yarn and go,” Fauna said, and the man payed and walked away with the hint of a smile, as if watching her almost curse was a funny thing. Or maybe the funny thing was that the coward had scurried off to no one knows where and his son was now being raised by two old spinsters.

“Quite frankly,” Aunt Fauna shook her head. “All the gossip.”

“People have no respect for privacy,” Aunt Flora agreed.

“Other people's business should stay their own.”

“They have nothing better to do.”

They kept talking to each other for a while but their conversation died when the next costumer approached.

Aunt Flora kept showing Rumpelstiltskin's work off to anybody who came too close and gave her enough attention. Still, their stall was half as full as it had been when they arrived that morning, and Rumpel's skein was still in Aunt Flora's hand. Unsold.

“I don't understand,” Aunt Flora said to herself. For once, Aunt Fauna didn't follow with a remark of her own. She was too busy observing them with shrewd eyes.

“Maybe it's not good enough,” Rumpel said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Of course it is good enough,” said Aunt Flora, sounding very kind where Aunt Fauna would have sounded impatient. “People just don't buy yarn every day. And most of them are our friends, they probably don't want to-”

“I know what is wrong.”

They both looked back at Aunt Fauna, who was putting the box where they kept the coins on the floor.

“You do?” Aunt Flora asked.

“Here.” She got up from her chair, took the skein from Flora's hand and put it on the stall. Then went back to her seat and started counting the money.

“What?” her friend asked, Rumpel watching them both with curiosity. “What could _possibly_ be wrong with his skein?”

“Excuse me?”

Aunt Flora and Rumpel turned and, to the boy's shock, there was a woman there.

“How much do you want for this?”

Rumpel stared at the lady, thinking that couldn't possibly be his... but it was! Aunt Flora had tied it with a double knot, just so it wouldn't get mixed up with all the others. The stranger wanted to buy _his_ skein.

Aunt Flora frowned, then gave Aunt Fauna a quick look that her friend didn't reciprocate, then turned back to the bored looking woman and gave her a price. The woman payed fast and walked away.

When they both turned back again, Aunt Fauna was smiling.

“They thought you were bragging. Not selling.”

 


End file.
